eteam: Prim Limit, 2009. Courtesy of the artists



Cliff Evans: Citizen: The Wolf and The Nanny, 2009. Courtesy of the artist



Brian Alfred: Overload, 2004. Courtesy of the artist and Haunch  and Venison, New York



Kristian Kozul: Benediction of Jenna Jameson,  2008. Courtesy of the artist

Mercury Retrograde:Animated Realities
Brian Alfred, Bouvy & Gillis, eteam, Cliff Evans, Kristian Kozul, Takashi Murakami

Exhibition Dates:
October 16th – November 7th 2009

CLOSING:
Saturday, November 7th 5:00 - 8:00 pm

Gallery hours:
Wednesdays 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Saturdays 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Three or four times a year, the planet Mercury appears to move backward in its orbit when seen from Earth. This optical illusion is referred to as Mercury retrograde. In popular astrology, Mercury retrograde marks intense periods when by things go awry, signaling the need for reflection and revision of our lives. This is a time for veering away from the past and taking bold steps into future. Mercury’s cycle has been speculated as the cause of major course corrections for society; it gives us a chance to grow as humans, to raise critical awareness, and possibly make a movement towards radical change.

Mercury Retrograde: Animated Realities features an international selection of artists working within the framework of moving images. The exhibition offers a reflection upon our mass media-saturated world and unknown future. The videos appropriate images from television, the internet, newspapers, pop culture and fashion, which are then manipulated using a variety of aesthetic approaches, animation, and montage techniques, and are enriched by the adoption of international art historical heritage and multicultural mythic and religious traditions. The materiality of animation allows for flattening, collaging, and reduction and abstraction of the appropriated material, and the dimension of time creates immersive stories, uncannily similar to our everyday realities. The artists in the exhibition meditate on beauty, identity, contemporary surroundings, the culture of spectacle, and power relations in the era of globalization. The works reveal both fascination with and critique of our culture, society and politics; the artists grapple with these complex topics from positions of both opposition and complicity.

Mercury Retrograde: Animated Realities is an ongoing investigation into the curatorial practices of Zeljka Himbele-Kozul and William Heath.

For further inquiries, or to obtain press photos, please contact: William Heath & Zeljka Himebele-Kozul
845.430.2736
pricepointeditions@gmail.com